(1) Field of the Invention
Present invention relates to a food and drink managing device that manages foods and drinks with a circulation type carrying path that conveys foods and drinks.
(2) Related Art Statement
Heretofore, the circulation carrying type dining counter is widely used, which has the endless circulation type carrying path for conveying foods and drinks along the dining table, such as counter, and conveys the containers, such as the plates with foods and drinks, for example Sushi, on this carrying path, because it enables customer to eat and drink without moving, or cook to prepare foods without moving, and also enables customer to choose and eat the food and drink that they want while sitting.
In the circulation carrying type dining counter as aforesaid, the number and variety of food and drink on the carrying path may decrease because the customer chooses the food and drink conveyed on the carrying path by their favor. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to supply sufficient services.
Consequently, the supply of food and drink for the reduced food and drink on the carrying path will be important. However, there are problems, such as it is difficult to figure out the number of each variety of food and drink on the carrying path, and supply the sufficient number without excess and deficiency, which requires a lot of workload, and also, it is difficult to standardize and generalize the supply, because it is decided by one's experience what kind of food and drink, and how much, is to be supplied.
In order to solve the above-described problems, a system that standardizes and generalizes the supply and the like by knowing the condition of food and drink on the carrying path, is described in prior patent documents 1 or 2. This system manages the food and drink on the carrying path by providing the individual identification (ID) to the same type of food/drink containers in advance, registering this ID and the classification of food and drink in relation before throwing-in the containers, and detecting the ID through the carrying path. However, in order to manage these foods and drinks on the carrying path precisely in real-time, since the carrying path is relatively long, it is necessary to set many ID reading devices near the carrying path, which causes the problems such as complicating the device and raising the cost.
In these circumstances, an improved food and drink managing system is already suggested in prior patent document 3. This improved food and drink managing system divides numbers of circulating food/drink containers into several zones and manages the throwing-in and taking of food/drink container in each zone. It has the advantages to reduce the cost of whole device and to simplify the management and conduct without loss of real-time quality or increase of conducting charges.
(Prior patent document 1)
Publication of Japanese Patent Application No. H8-238157
(cf. Claims, FIG. 1)
(Prior patent document 2)
Publication of Japanese Patent Application No. H 9-44753
(cf. Claim 1, FIGS. 1-3)
(Prior Patent document 3)
Publication of Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-17546
(cf. Claim 1, FIG. 1)